Yaya Toure vs Aaron Ramsey: EPL’s top midfield engines battle for supremacy

The days of box-to-box midfielders may soon be over but two central midfielders in the Premier League are keeping that tag alive. Yaya Toureand Aaron Ramsey face each other at the Etihad Stadium at the weekend which will see two of the best players, on current form, come up against each other.

Combined, the two midfield engines have scored 15 Premier League goals and created 40 chances. Both have been in sensational form so far this season and have been the main catalysts for Arsenal and Manchester City’s good form.

Toure has always been an important player for City but has been their driving energy from midfield this season. He’s their main passer in the middle, too, completing more passes than any other player in the league. His passing accuracy is one of the best in the City squad, too, boasting a superb 91% completion.

His passing is not aimless, though, as connects the midfield and attack superbly as he has sent the majority of his passes forward.

Toure pass stats

In comparison, Ramsey has only completed 85% of his passes this season and has even attempted less passes forwards than Toure. The Welshman has sent 62% of his passes forwards this season, which is marginally less than City’s powerhouse.

However, Ramsey has scored one more goal and has a greater shot accuracy. The Welshman’s eight goals are his best return for the club since his arrival from Cardiff several years ago and his shot accuracy of 73% is far better than the 61% Toure holds.

Ramsey’s shots this season

However good Ramsey’s shooting accuracy is, Toure boasts the higher chance conversion. The Ivorian has converted 38.9% of his chances, compared to Ramsey who has scored 26.7%. Both are fantastic figures, especially for midfielders who aren’t shy of shooting.

Not only has Ramsey (22) created four more chances than Toure (18) this season, he’s assisted two more goals. The Welshman has been absolutely fantastic in the final third for Arsenal this season. His higher chance creation figure will be down to the fact that he plays further forward than Toure, though, who likes to sit deep and charge forward.

One would assume that due to Toure dominating most midfield battles, he would be excellent in the tackle with his opponents. This is not the case, however, as he has won just 28% (15/54) of his tackles in the Premier League this season. That’s compared to Ramsey’s 54% (52/96) rate.

Ramsey is leading the way in Squawka’s Performance Score chart, too. The Welshman has scored 642 points so far. That’s more than Toure’s 554. Both players are placed quite high on the overall scoring chart with Ramsey second behind Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Toure in fifth behind Luis Suarez and Phil Jagielka. Ramsey is ahead mainly thanks to his 500 attacking points but Toure closes the gap with his huge possession advantage. The Ivory Coast international has scored 232 points compared to Ramsey’s 88 in that department.

Both players are vital to their respective teams and are the engine rooms in their midfield. The midfield battle at the Etihad will be huge and will see two of the players of the season come up against each other.

Who wins, though? It’s a tough one.